


All good things have a start

by Spitaalinen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 18th century AU, Akaashi is such beauty such grace, Bokuto Koutarou is a Dork, F/M, M/M, and Bokuto needs a suit, and possibly smutty, it's gonna be fluffy - be warned, taking place in 19th century britain, where Akaashi is a tailor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 18:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6020833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spitaalinen/pseuds/Spitaalinen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi Keiji is a to-be-tailor and he is finally going to take a commission all by himself. What he wasn't expecting was his first customer to be a man who looks like on owl and acts like an over grown child. Even less he expected not to annoyed by this person.<br/>He almost likes the way Bokuto Koutarou gets fascinated by everything Akaashi does and, though he could never admit it, he adores the way Bokuto's golden eyes are always fixated on him.</p><p>Too bad he's there only to finish his commission, not to be part of a cheesy love story.</p><p>------</p><p>English is not my native language and I don't have anyone to proof read for me, so there might be some mistakes. I'll fix them little by little, and I'd appreciate if you inform me if some mistake catches your eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All good things have a start

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by one fan art I saw on Tumblr (I have no idea where to find it so if someone knows what I'm talking about please tell me so I can link it)
> 
> Also, I haven't written almost anything in English and never Haikyuu either, so some clumsiness with language ahead folks. Also some ooc might occur.

“Keiji!” master one day called him, “we got a new customer, but I don’t have the time for his commission. Could you take him on your own?” He was baffled, of course. Keiji Akaashi had been studying under his master for a few years and, to be honest, he was a talented tailor. Still, it was really surprising for master to give him a customer out of blue. Akaashi wanted to accept, even though the thought of not having master around to give him directions was a little unnerving. 

“Who is it?” he asked, only a little bit of excitement in his voice. Master smiled slightly. “Remember Mrs. Bokuto?”. Akaashi didn’t even have to think. “The one we made a funeral gown for? I remember.” Master nodded approvingly. He always made sure Akaashi remembered all of their customers, so he wouldn’t appear rude next time they came around. Also, Mrs. Bokuto was more than an usual topic of discussion around the town. “Her son, Koutarou, needs a tailcoat. Nothing fancy, but they are important customers. Can you do it?” Could he indeed? Akaashi didn’t stop to think nearly as long as he should have before he nodded and accepted the commission information paper master was holding out. He took a careful look at it and, as master had said, customer’s wishes were nothing fancy. It was pretty basic commission, the kind he had completed with his master a lot of times before.

“You should go right away. They wanted the coat in two months and you want to take your time with it. I don’t need you with me to Mrs. Rickins, so it’s not a problem”, master said while checking if he had everything he needed in his bag. “It should be easy for you. Mrs. Bokuto said her son is really outgoing, and you even speak the same language.” Oh, there it came again. Mrs. Edith Alisa Bokuto, originally Ms. Edith Alisa Sinclair had married a Japanese man and had one son with him. Half of a year ago her husband had died. They had been the main topic of gossiping all around the town for years so everyone, including Akaashi who usually didn't bother with gossips or rumors, knew a lot about that story. Akaashi’s father's father was Japanese as well, and even though the only Japanese features Akaashi had were his dark hair and eyes, his father had made sure that he and his siblings had learnt the language. In any case, he didn’t think of himself anything else than pure British, even as his name said otherwise. 

His master’s voice woke him up from his thoughts. “Alright, Keiji, don’t forget anything, I wish you the best of luck”, he said and took of. His master always did that, took of like a storm. Akaashi sighed and scanned through the information paper again. “I might as well go now…” he thought out loud and started gathering everything he needed. Usually customers came to their shop but if the customer was ready to pay some extra Akaashi and his master did make home visits. It was an annoyance if they had to drag the whole commission with them to have the customer try it on. Luckily, this time he was only going to take measurements which left him with considerably less luggage. 

Akaashi finished packing and double checking if he had everything. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, it was his first own commission after all, before stepping out of the door. He didn't even have to look at the address to know to make his way towards the town’s noble neighborhood. Spring wasn't far yet so even the wealthy still lived in town, and not in their summer villas. It was still chilly and Akaashi was all too happy that tailor’s job paid enough for him to have a warm coat. 

It wasn’t a long way and it took Akaashi just about a quarter of an hour. He took a few minutes to find the right house since it had been a while since the last time he had been here. It had been when they had made a funeral gown for Mrs. Bokuto. He certainly did not remember seeing her son back then, so he had no idea what to expect. Akaashi pulled the string that made a bell ring somewhere inside the house. Only moments later a butler hurried to the gate. 

“I’m Keiji Akaashi, a tailor. I'm here for Mr. Bokuto's commission”, Akaashi said before the man even asked. “Oh, welcome Mr. Akaashi, please come in”, he said smiling at Akaashi, who followed the butler into the building. It looked fancy from the outside, but when they stepped in Akaashi noticed that the decorations were pretty simple. Beautiful, but not as ostentatious as he had remembered. Maybe Mrs. Bokuto wanted to make it more simple after her husband passed away. 

Akaashi let a maid to take his jacket and followed the butler further in. He found himself in a recreation room or something similar. He certainly didn’t remember the house well enough to say. “Please sit, Mr. Akaashi. I’ll go inform Mr. Bokuto that you have arrived.” Akaashi politely and sat down on one of the sofas. It was soft and comfortable, but Akaashi didn’t dare to relax. He went through everything he needed to do and know in order to make the suit. It would be really rude if he forgot something and had to return for more information.

Akaash sat in silence for a few minutes before the butler opened the door and a man with fairly quirky hair appeared. Akaashi stood up as he tried to take his eyes of that hairdo, not wanting to appear to be staring. The man stretched out his hand with a beaming smile on his face. “Hi, I’m Koutarou Bokuto, nice to meet you!” With only a moment’s delay Akaashi took Koutarou’s hand to shake it. “Keiji Akaashi, it is my pleasure.” Koutarou paused for a second to look at Akaashi with a little bit of surprise on his face before the smile reappeared. “You’re Japanese too, then. Great! What you want me to call you? Akaashi-kun? I’m okay with anything”, he said almost automatically switching to Japanese. “Uh…”,Akaashi started. He was honestly taken aback by Koutarou’s excitement and sudden Japanese so he didn’t have the decency to say that he didn’t prefer that name. “Akaashi-kun is fine”, he said instead, slowly, trying to switch his mind to Japanese settings. “Bokuto…-san then? Since you seem to prefer the Japanese way?” he asked a little unsure. He hadn’t spoken Japanese for long enough for it to feel foreign in his mouth.

Bokuto didn’t seem to mind Akaashi’s little clumsiness with language at all. Instead, he seemed really pleased with the fact that Akaashi was able to respond at all. “Bokuto-san is good!” he said happily, shamelessly staring at Akaashi with his outstanding, yellow and really round, eyes. The whole person reminded Akaashi of an owl, for some reason (probably thanks to the hairdo), and an overgrown child at the same time (that one was probably the fault of his way of speaking). Akaashi decided that this person was likely hard to deal with and braced himself for that. 

“Alrigh then, Bokuto-san. Should we begin? I need to take your measurements so if you could strip topless”, Akaashi said with his professional tone, accidently speaking English again. He was a little nervous, but Bokuto’s outgoing attitude had lessened it a little. “Oh right, yes!” the other said, like he had already forgotten why the tailor was here. Akaashi rolled his eyes as he turned to his bag to take out a measuring tape. When he turned back Bokuto had already managed to free himself from his vest and tie, and was halfway down the buttons of his shirt. The butler stood politely next to him, holding his clothes. When Bokuto got his shirt of Akaashi had to take a few seconds to admire the other’s upper body. He surely was well built, something not many upper class men were, and Akaashi really appreciated the view (though he made sure to hid it well). 

“Please stand there and refrain from doing any unnecessary movements, thank you”, Akaashi politely said and Bokuto followed the instructions as well as he could. “Could you lift your arms, please”, he said guiding Bokuto’s arms to the needed hight. Then he started taking the measurements carefully writing them down on his notebook. It was a little hard since Bokuto fidgeted a lot and seemly was really tickliss, but Akaashi tried to do his best. “What kind of tailcoat are you looking for? For everyday use? For some special occasion?” he asked while wrapping the measurement tape around Bokuto’s chest. “Uh, for special occasion. Mother’s keeping a ball in our summer villa in June. She says that I need something fancy to wear to make a good impression.” Akaashi nodded and marking things down again. “Who are you trying to impress?” he asked just to keep the conversation going. “A possible fiancé”, Bokuto answered, not sounding too into the thought. 

A fiancé, of course. Akaashi should have known, taken that Bokuto was in the age he should marry. He wasn’t too similar with the way upper class organized things like this, other than what he heard from his customers, but it was kinda obvious. He circled around Bokuto to measure his back and made sure not stare his back too much. It was hell when his customers were good looking. “I’ll make sure that the coat will help you with that then. Any preferences? Colors? Style? Others than what was listed in your commission” he changed the subject from fiancés. He’s job wasn’t to pry and, to be honest, he wasn’t really even interested. He was here to take measurements, and while a little small talk was polite, Akaashi always tried to stay away from personal subjects. 

“Nah, I think I listed it all in the commission”, Bokuto said following Akaashi’s movements with his eyes as the tailor circled back to in front of him. “Also, can I let my arms down?” he continued when Akaashi seemed to be done. “Oh, yes, sorry”, Akaashi just said nodding “I have everything I need now, so you can put on your shirt.” Akaashi looked at the measurements written in his notebook to make sure he really did take everything he needed and then read through the commission again. “The commission doesn’t say if you prefer British or French cut”, Akaashi said moving his eyes to Bokuto, who was buttoning up his shirt. “How do they even differ?” he said taking his tie from the butler. “Uh… Not much. French cut is a little more flashier”, Akaashi said. It was a little hard to explain to someone who didn’t know anything about tailoring. “Then that one”, Bokuto said smiling like a child “flashy is more me.” Akaashi had to stop himself from agreeing out loud and just nodded instead writing it down. 

“I think we’re ready. I can come back tomorrow with the drawn design”, Akaashi informed and looked at the clock “Or this evening, however you prefer, Bokuto-san.” Bokuto looked up from his vest buttons. “You could just draw here? I could ask for some tea and you wouldn’t need to run back and forth”, he said putting his hands on his hips and smiling like he was proud of his idea. Akaashi didn’t have time to even open his mouth before Bokuto was on the move already. “You know what, let’s do just that! Could you get us some tea and biscuits, Sebastian?”

Akaashi sighed. “I guess I will join you for some tea then”, he said just a little pissed of about Bokuto’s lack of manners. Akaashi was about to voice his thoughts but before he could Bokuto turned back towards him. The man looked so happy to have a guest that Akaashi had to swallow his complaints. It would have felt like taking a candy from a child. “We can go to the tearoom. Mother makes sure it is always well lit, so it’d be easier to draw there, right?” Bokuto said walking to the door. Akaashi gathered his things and followed the man. 

They walked in a silence for a moment before Bokuto couldn’t keep silent again. “How long have you been a tailor? Mother said that she asked Mr. Hayman to make my jacket”, he asked turning to look at Akaashi. He seemed genuinely curious, not like someone who asked just to keep up a conversation. “Mr. Hayman is my master. I’ve been studying under him for six years now. You are actually my first customer master won’t be helping me with”, Akaashi answered as Bokuto turned to open a door to a room with giant windows letting in light. It looked delicate with a lot of different flowers and light colors. It was almost completely separate from the style rest of the house was built and decorated with.Akaashi had to stand in the doorway for a few seconds before he got used to the sudden beauty. 

Bokuto chuckled a little as he walked to a table located in front of one of the windows and pulled out a chair. “I agree, it’s a pretty room”, he said smiling proudly, like it was his room. Akaashi nodded and went to sit beside Bokuto. “Did your mother design it”, he asked looking around again before letting his gaze fall on Bokuto’s face, which was leaning on his hand right now. “She did”, Bokuto said happily “I helped to pick the flowers though. She had hard time choosing.” To be honest, Akaashi was a little surprised that someone like Bokuto was even able to help someone design flower arrangements, but the wealthy had their hobbies, he guessed. “You did a beautiful job”, Akaashi said then, voicing his admiration out loud. Bokuto seemed to start shining when Akaashi complemented his, and Akaashi was a little amazed that his smile was able to widen any more. The man really was like a child. 

Akaashi took out some paper and a pen from his bag and relaxed a little. He liked the designing part the best and, not to brag, he was really confident in his abilities to design the best fitting clothes for any kind of person. He felt Bokuto’s eyes on him as he drew the first lines. “Do you mind if I watch”, the man asked and Akaashi just shook his head. “It’s alright. I won’t be distracted.” 

Bokuto hummed happily and fell silent only for a few seconds. “Are you a journeyman? You can’t be an apprentice anymore right?” Akaashi didn’t take his eyes off the design he was making. “Yes, I am. I wouldn’t be able to take commission on my own if I wasn’t”, he answered. If one thing Akaashi was good at then in splitting his attention. Having a noisy master did that. “Are you going to be a master soon then? I mean, six years studying must mean something”, Bokuto continued his prying, but for some reason Akaashi didn’t mind at all. “Actually eight. I had an another master before this one”, Akaashi answered. Bokuto fixed his posture a little and mumbled something slightly. Akaashi took his eyes off the paper and looked at Bokuto, whose eyes were fixed on Akaashi’s face. They were weird eyes, yellowish golden and round, and they seemed to watch the world in more detail than the person himself let people believe. 

“Is something the matter”, Akaashi asked a little unsure how to react. Bokuto seemed to snap out of his trance-like state. “Nothing”, he claimed a little too fast to Akaashi’s liking “I was just watching, that’s all.” Akaashi had a urge to say that that much he had noticed, but had no change before there was a knock on the door and the butler came in pushing a little cart with tea and biscuits on it. 

The butler set the table for them and left with as few words as he could possibly manage. Akaashi smiled and thanked and got only a polite reply before the man was gone again. Bokuto seemed to be really focused on putting sugar in his tea with a little frown on top of his nose. It was kinda cute, when Akaashi thought about it but decided to disregard that and focused on his design again. He was left in silence this time, but he was sure Bokuto’s eyes were once again fixed on him. It was a little weird, but well… Bokuto was weird altogether so Akaashi decided not to mind this little habit either.

It didn’t take Akaashi long to finish the design. Well, about one and half cups of tea and a few biscuits, but not as long as it could have. Bokuto had started to fidget again at some point, but now he seemed to be occupied with fixing the flower arrangements around the room. “It’s ready, Bokuto-san”, Akaashi called out and Bokuto hurried over like an over-excited child. Akaashi gave him the paper and Bokuto took a long hard look at it. “Anything you’d like to change?”, he asked noting all the facial expression Bokuto went through, everything from confused to amazement. 

“No! It’s great like this!” the man exclaimed and smiled widely. “It’s perfect.” Akaashi was happy to hear that. Bokuto didn’t seem hard to please, but it was always nice that someone liked what he had designed for them. “Good”, he said smiling slightly, “I will have the base ready by next week’s friday, if you could come to our shop to try it on?” Akaashi said taking back the paper. Bokuto nodded eagerly. “Of course! I can’t wait”, he said looking happier than what Akaashi had seen so far. He took out a piece of paper and wrote the address down for Bokuto. “Great. I’ll be waiting for you then”, he said packing his stuff and standing up. “I’ll leave now. Thank you for the tea, it was lovely.” Bokuto looked up from the address with a little disappointed face. Then he smiled again, and Akaashi was almost sure he had imagined it. “Yeah, thank you too, I’m sure the coat will turn up perfect in your hands, Akaashi”, he said seemly forgetting the -kun from Akaashi’s name he had insisted putting there.

“I think I’ll know the way out myself”, Akaashi said, gave Bokuto a small smile and then slyly switched to Japanese “I’ll see you on Friday then. Have a good week.” Bokuto seemed more than happy to hear the language again. “See you”, he said, forgetting manners again. Akaashi stepped to the corridor and made his way outside. He sighed a little and took a deep breath of clear air. He surely had a unique customer as his first.


End file.
